Senate Republicans, you are killing California. By blocking the vote last month on the Democrats' unemployment benefits bill, you are murdering us. Today you have another chance to do what is right and pass the bill to restore unemployment benefits to 2.1 million Americans who have been out of work for longer than six months.

I don't know if you're aware of how your votes affect the people of this state. Maybe it was a hit-and-run, and you never looked in your rearview mirror to see the bodies you mowed down as you tried to do the right thing in stemming this nation's spending. Maybe you didn't see the faces of the unemployed, who have been trying desperately to find jobs in a state with an unemployment rate of 12.3 percent. Maybe you didn't make the connection that you just evicted thousands of people from their homes, cut off their food and destroyed their dreams.

I am a die-hard Republican. I understand the philosophy behind your wanting to stop our president's out-of-control spending. He has brought our national debt to $13 trillion with his economic stimulus schemes and hollow promises. I agree with you in principle when you say, "No more!"

However, the people of California and other states don't deserve the punishment that is being meted out by senators playing politics.

Unemployment benefits are being phased out for more than 200,000 people a week with your failure to pass this bill. If you think the economy was struggling before, then just wait until these people can't even afford to buy groceries. Not only are even more Californians going to lose their homes, but the little bit of pocket change they had from unemployment will no longer be going into the economy.

Pack of smokes? A magazine? DVD rental? No more.

As someone who was laid off a year ago from a county job, I was saved by unemployment benefits. But for me, as for so many other Californians, they have ended. Do we really deserve this? We weren't abusing the benefits. We're not lazy, spoiled people living on the dole. We aren't scamming the system. We are trying to support our families and keep roofs over our heads.

We didn't cause this financial mess. We didn't mismanage our funds, feed welfare scammers or support illegal immigrants, all at a cost of millions of dollars a month. We worked hard, paid our taxes, did all the right things. How is it that we are the ones at risk of losing everything we have?

California will be a dried husk when all unemployment benefits stop. Who'll be able to live here? The poverty-level welfare recipients and the rich technology developers? There will be no middle class - its members either will have moved away or been turned out on the streets. It's a beautiful state with a very ugly future.

It's easy to vote down a bill, but I wonder if it would have been so easy had you seen our faces. To allow us unemployment benefits while we search night and day for nonexistent jobs is only humane. While you have held onto your principles, you have cut our lifeline. I urge you to do the right thing Tuesday - vote to extend the unemployment benefits.